M’CHIGEENG— Having the tremendous support of her family and reconnecting to her Indigenous culture paved the way for Emma Morrison to win the Miss World Canada in 2022, and to overcome obstacles she faced in her youth.
“I owe 50 percent of my success to my family and how they have supported me and 50 percent to being able to reconnect to my background and culture. I will now be able to compete at the Miss World pageant,” stated Ms. Morrison at the annual Women’s Wellness Day Expo Manitoulin held at the M’Chigeeng complex on March 7. The event was hosted by Mnidoo Mnising Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “At 15, I was extremely shy but I stepped out of my comfort zone to be in a pageant. I was very anxious and it was very scary.”
“Regardless of your limitations, including being from a small town, if you have the passion and drive, there are no limits to what you as a woman can achieve,” said Ms. Morrison. “I challenge all of you to step outside of your comfort zone and reconnect with your culture.”
Ms. Morrison is a proud Indigenous women who is from the Chapleau Cree First Nation in Treaty 9 territory. She is passionate about encouraging cultural revitalization because she believes that when a person connects to their roots this is when they’ll find their most authentic self. Ms. Morrison was crowned Miss World Canada 2022 last November and will compete in the 72nd Miss World as the first Indigenous Miss Canada. Along with crafting authentic Indigenous jewelry and traditional clothing for Indigenous peoples to wear so that they will have a physical link to their culture to remind them to be proud of their identity, Emma strives to represent Indigenous individuals as a role model and visionary.
“I am originally from Chapleau Cree Nation, which is a really small town of about 1,500 people,” said Ms. Morrison. “I lived there 18 years until I left to pursue my education.” As a young person she took part in a lot of sports, including fishing and hunting.
“When I was 15, I was contacted by a pageant director about entering the Miss Northern Ontario Regional Pageant,” said Ms. Morrison. In considering this, “I went to my support system, for me that is my family which has always been so encouraging and amazing. My mom is the most incredible person I have ever known. When I told her about the opportunity of being in the pageant, she was very encouraging, she saw potential in me. I took that support and said sure, I will give it a shot.”
“In going to the Miss Northern Ontario Regional Pageant, I had to get through a lot of obstacles,” said Ms. Morrison. She had to build up her confidence and was so painfully shy that she would get so anxious that several times when she was younger she would black out, including one day in the store where she worked. This took place about two months before the pageant.
“I passed out in front of everyone in the store,” said Ms. Morrison. “I used to pass out all the time in those days. And this was in March and I had the pageant in two months. I learned how to manage my breathing, through meditation.”
However, at the pageant, “I was shaking in my boots,” acknowledged Ms. Morrison. “There were 39 other delegates in the pageant. Some had masters degrees and some were teachers, and here I was 18. When I got into main pageant room I realized I was the only Indigenous person there, along with Ms. Perth and Ms. Thunder Bay. But because of my support and encouragement of my family I was able make it through.” She became the first Indigenous woman to hold the title and now she had qualified for the Miss Teen Canada Nationals where she also won.
After graduating from high school, Ms. Morrison moved to North Bay to continue her education. Away from home, “this is when my relationship with my Anishinabek culture hit a plateau,” she said. “In May 2021, when the announcement came of the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at a former residential school, that really impacted me as a First Nation person. I grew up hearing about residential schools. It made me angry,” she said, pointing out she had known someone in her life whose siblings had never returned home from a residential school. “I made the decision to reconnect to my culture and to remember all those who didn’t make it home.”
“Reconnecting to my cultures and traditions was a huge thing for me,” said Ms. Morrison. She started sewing ribbon skirts and fell in love with it. “It reconnects me to my roots and reminds me to be strong and proud of our culture.”
Along with finding her passion for making ribbon skirts, another big part of the reconnection with her culture was her interest in the jingle dress regalia.
By the time she was asked to compete in the World Canada pageant Ms. Morrison was no longer as anxious or nervous. “It’s unlike other pageants; it provides a great platform to put forward input on issues like the residential schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. If I had the opportunity to speak directly to the government, I would say that they need to go forward and put in all the 94 calls to action. And I said I want to live in a country where everyone is equal.” Fifteen minutes later, she was announced as the winner of Miss World Canada.
“I can now go to the Miss World Pageant and put my voice and platform out there, along with my passion for ribbon skirts. There is also a dancing category at the pageant and I will be dancing in my fancy shawl dress,” said Ms. Morrison.
“When I was 15 I had a lot of obstacles with anxiety but because of having such an amazing incredible support system around me, I can now manage this,” stated Ms. Morrison. “I challenge all women to step outside their comfort zones and reconnect to their culture.”
The opening prayer for wellness day was delivered by Alma Jean Migwans, followed by a welcome address by M’Chigeeng Ogimaa-kwe Linda Debassige and opening remarks by Kaitlyn Sorbara, outreach worker with Manitoulin Family Resources.
Ms. Sorbara told the audience that this is an annual event put on by the Mnidoo Mnising Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Along with many local vendors on hand focussing on things that support women’s wellness, there were three workshops held during the day: smudge teaching with Mary Elliott, wholistic therapies with Devarati sammon and homeopathic health with Kerry Peltier.
